Combined step-ladder and rack.



E. H. LANIER. COMBINED STEP LADDER AND BACK) APPLICATION FILED JUNE I0, I916- Patented May 14, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. 'H. LANIER COMBINED STEP LADDER AND RACK. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I0. I916- Patented May 14,1918.

NIT STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

-.' v H EDWARD H. LANIER, or NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

COMBINED STEP-LADDER AND BACK.

Specification of LettersPatent.

P tentea vra 14, 1918.

Application filed June 10, 1916. Serial No. 102,984.

To all whom it may concern Beit known-that I, EDWARD H. LANIER, a citizen of the United States,- and a residentofthe city of Newport, in the county of Campbell andState of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Step-Ladders and Racks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part" of this specification.

My invention relates to a piece of furniture which while useful for other-purposes so as to find a proper place in the small living apartment, or the. like, is also capable of being adjusted for use as a step ladder.

There' havein the past been designed numerous devices of the general nature above, but the great difliculty is to provide a stout and effective step ladder and at the same time make the device portable while making it fully useful and ornamental for daily use in its other capacities. i I

It is the object 'of my invention to provide an effective device for such purposes andto combine in the same device a hat rack, a rest couch and a step ladder. In this connection, it is my object to provide that the converting ofthe hat rack into the ladder shall be accomplishedwithout removing the coats, hats and the like that may be on the rack,

' and to make the operation of so converting the device simple and'easy. It is my object'to provide the couch at the rear of the hat rack andto concealthe supporting legs of the couch in an effective manner;

It is also my object to make the complete device as light in weight as the ordinary stout step ladder so that it can be easily conveyed from place to place, and to so con struct the device that its outer appearance entirely conceals the various functions of which it is capable.

These objects I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed,

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the hat and clothes rack portion removed when the ladder is to be employed.

Fig. t is a central vertical section of the device extended as in use as a ladder.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the device.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same in i use as a rest couch or settee.

The hat rack por-tionofthe device comprises a board 1, having suitable hooks 2, 2, thereon and any ornamentation such as' a mirror or the like (not shown) that may be desired upon its outer face. At the sides of the board at the back are mounted'two legs 3, 3, by means of hinges l, which will support the rack in the position of an easel as shown in Fig. 3. This rack board is consid erably wider than the step ladder so that it extends laterally beyond the sides of the ladder as indicated by dotted lines showing the ladder in Fig. 1.

The step ladder portion has two side boards 5, 5,'running the length of the lad der, and across between the said boards the steps 6, 6, in the desired numberiopreferably arranged so that the ladder will e of stand ard height and structure. This ladder is provided'at the top with two side pieee-ex tensions 7, 7, which are pivoted to the back frame by means of a rod 8.

Setinto the top step of the ladder which is the top of thedevice' is a socket piece 9, and on'the upper end of the rack board is a hook 10 which seats in the socket. der has near the base a cross board 11, which can be cutin ornamental shape and which extends beyond the sides of the ladder. Along the rear-of the rack board on each side are secured two vertical strips 12, 12, which extend on each side below the board itself, These strips fit over the sides 5 of the'ladder portion and extend behind the protruding ends of the board 11. The rack board can thus be hooked in place on the ladder portion and easily lifted off and set on the floor without removing any coats or hats thereon, because the rack can be stood up as an easel as above noted. To place the rack board on the ladder, the lower ends of the strips 12, 12 are passed in behind the board 11, and the hook 10 is engaged in the socket 9.

The back portion which serves as the rear support forthe ladder has a framework with side pieces 13, 13, through which passes the rod 8 above noted. It has also a bottom extension which may be ornamented if desired, and which as shown has two feet 14, having a slanting base 15 at the forward end, and a straight base 16 at the rearward end. The ladder portion itself has a like bottom extension having feet 17 with like bases 18 The ladthan the usual ladder in structure.

at a slant and 19 cut straight. Thus when the ladder is in use, the feet will have a firm seat 011 the floor because of the slanting bases, and when the parts are erect, when in normal position, there will be a like firm base, on the horizontally out parts.

The back of the prop portion of the step ladder has a top board 20, and the prop is formed with cross braces, so as to provide a substantial framework and stretched across the frame of said back portion is a suitable piece of woven cane or other resilient fabric, which will serve as the seat or bed of a couch or settee. The ladder has pivoted at each end, on its side pieces the legs 21 for the settee, which legs are pivoted by means of bolts 22 on the outer sides of the said boards, and normally rest against the stops 23 on the boards. These legs when in extended position, for the top legs, are adapted to bear against the top boards of the ladder, and, for the lower legs, are adapted to rest against small pieces 24 secured to the sides of the ladder boards. Thus the device may be used as a settee or couch by laying it back upward on the floor with the legs extended as shown in Fig. 6.

Between the ladder portion and the prop frame is the folding brace 25 as in the usual folding step ladder, which is, of course, to be folded up when the ladder is not in use.

It can be understood that with the hat rack removed, the device is not heavy, as the back consists merely of the framework with a cane seat and the ladder is not molil'e T e rearward parts are all concealed by the rack when it is in place and the device is suitable for general use at all times. It is strong and stable as a ladder, and the additional feature of the couch or settee gives it an additional use which is much needed in small apartments where the space will not permit of additional couches or chairs.

It is not intended by the failure to mention various details of possible modifications in the above device, to imply a limitation to the claims that follow, whereby they do not have a construction as broad as their language infers. It is, of course, obvious that various modifications would be readily possible without departure from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is 2- 1. In a piece of furniture, vertically disposed side pieces with cross pieces to form a step ladder, with means for concealing the same comprising a fiat board, with coat hooks thereon, and means for securing the board to the ladder portion to conceal the same, said board provided with a hinged support to permit the board to stand as an easel when removed from the ladder portion.

In a piece of furniture, vertically disposed side pieces with cross pieces to form a step ladder, and a framework hinged thereto to form a support, said framework provided with a resilient seat thereon, with means for concealing the ladder and the resilient seat comprising a fiat board, with coat hooks thereon, and means for securing the board to the ladder portion, said board provided with a hinged support to permit the board to stand as an easel when removed from the ladder portion.

3. In combination with a ladder having sides and steps, means for standing said ladder vertically, a socket at the top of the ladder, and projections adjacent the lower portion thereof, and a rack board having a hook to engage the socket, and projections to engage behind the projections on the ladder, as and for the purpose described.

a. In combination with a ladder, having means for standing in a vertical position, a board adapted to conceal the ladder, pockets on the ladder for securing the board thereto, and means at the upper and the lower end of the board to engage said pockets, for the purpose described.

EDWARD H. LANIER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

